Friendly Fire Closes $4.7 Million Series A Funding Round

The capital is planned to be used to support ongoing operations and the development of the company’s technology platform.

"Our success is built on our own experience and years of optimizing processes to ensure we hand our franchise partners an excellent model in which to invest their capital. That's why we can be so confident today about what works, and why we can guarantee success to franchisees who stick to our standard," said Friendly Fire founder and CEO David Kosir. "With this investment and with a partner like AYMO Ventures, we now have real wind at our backs and everything we need to deliver on our vision and become the largest gaming cafe chain in the world."

AYMO Ventures added, “Friendly Fire is focused on a market that has always been fragmented and local, and it's giving that market a genuinely connected system. Alongside the operational know-how, the technology layer is the part that's easiest to overlook from the outside, and it's precisely what turns a good gaming cafe into a network that gets stronger with every new opening. It matters just as much that this is a team that proved the model at its own locations, with its own money, before offering it to anyone else.

We're looking forward to working with David and his team through this next phase of growth.”

Founded in Zagreb in 2017, Friendly Fire began as a visionary project by Kosir and a group of gaming enthusiasts who wanted to create more than just a place to play, aiming instead to build a modern, social environment where both casual gamers and competitive players could gather, connect, and compete. Today, the burgeoning brand operates a total of 22 company- and franchise-owned locations across six countries, blending cutting-edge gaming equipment, immersive social spaces, and a dynamic calendar of amateur tournaments and esports events.

The brand’s growing global community includes more than 220,000 gamers on the Friendly Fire platform, while its locations have hosted more than 1,000 amateur esports tournaments to date.

Friendly Fire’s international expansion continues to gain significant momentum, with 31 franchise agreements signed to date, representing a pipeline of 178 additional locations across 11 countries.